C4 photosynthesis represents a striking example of convergent evolution, where multiple plant lineages have independently modified an ancestral C3 pathway to enhance carbon fixation efficiency. This ...

Researchers associated with the International Rice Research Institute are reporting C4 photosynthesis success on the way toward dramatically boosting the productivity of grains like rice and wheat ...

SAN DIEGO — Plants thrive on photosynthesis, which is essential to their growth and development. New research is showing how an alternative form of photosynthesis could produce more productive crops ...

Plants using C4 photosynthesis grow 20-100 percent quicker than more common C3 plants by altering the shape, size and structure of their leaves and roots, according to a new study. Plants using C4 ...

Salk researchers have discovered how some plant species evolved a more efficient photosynthesis approach; findings could help make staple crops including rice and wheat more resilient to climate ...

Cross sections of C3 rice (left) and C4 sorghum (right) shoots. Both grain crops evolved from a common ancestor, but sorghum evolved to photosynthesize more efficiently. LA JOLLA (November 20, ...

The RuBisCO enzyme, the most abundant protein on the planet, is an essential component of photosynthesis, but it isn’t terribly efficient, especially when it gets hot. Over time, some plants evolved a ...

An ambitious project to re-engineer photosynthesis in rice, led by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) through a global consortium of scientists, has received a grant of US$11 million ...

In December, geneticists announced that they’d made a major advance in engineering rice plants to carry out photosynthesis in a more efficient way—much as corn and many fast-growing weeds do. The ...

An impressive body of evidence published this week reveals the answer to a mystery that has puzzled plant scientists for more than 30 years: the role of the molecule suberin in the leaves of some of ...

C4 phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylases (PEP-Case; EC 4.1.1.3) have evolved from ancestral non-photosynthetic (C3) isoforms during the evolution of angiosperms and thereby gained distinct kinetic and ...